The Washington Nationals were officially eliminated from the NL East Friday night, and although they won’t be long in the Wild Card race (elimination number is seven), they still have plenty to play for as more than a few players on the field, plus pitchers in the rotation/bullpen are going to have the opportunity to make their case for becoming contributing factors in 2025.
Meanwhile, we count down the days to when they’re officially making plans for next year.
Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (85-58) lost two of three in Miami, slipping one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for home field advantage in the NL Playoffs. However, the Phillies own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
New York (78-65) and Atlanta (78-65) are tied for the final playoff spot in the NL (they meet three times in late September), while the Mets have won nine of ten. Meanwhile, the Braves deal with another injury as infielder Whit Merrifield is out with a fractured foot.
Washington (64-79) can still finish with a better record than last year with an 8-11 finish. Miami (54-89) might be on track to finish last, but scored 19 runs in their two wins over the Phillies Friday and Saturday.
Break up the Birds: Baltimore’s two straight losses to Tampa Bay slides the O’s (82-62) a half-game behind the New York Yankees (82-61) for first place in the AL East.
How close has this race been? The Orioles have been tied with the Yanks after 25 of their games this year, and the two clubs have been three games or closer since June 14. This week, the O’s visit Boston and Detroit (they can shovel more dirt on the 72-71 Red Sox), while the Yanks host the Red Sox after meeting Wild Card contender Kansas City in the Bronx.
Diamonds Direct Diamond King: Andrés Chaparro homered twice while driving in nine. The rookie infielder/designated hitter is averaging .290 OBP with 14 RBI over 23 games played. Will he be able to continue to produce at a decent rate in 2025?
Last Week’s Heroes: Keibert Ruiz hit .375 with five runs and three RBI. D.J. Herz tossed five scoreless innings for his first win since Aug. 3.
Last Week’s Humbled: Mitchell Parker allowed four runs over three innings of work, while Jacob Barnes surrendered four runs over 1.2 frames and Joe LaSorsa coughed up three runs while getting just a pair of outs. Joey Gallo may have homered, but he went hitless in his 13 at bats. C.J. Abrams hit .095 with zero walks and seven strikeouts.
Game to Watch: Thursday, Washington meets Miami and rookie D.J. Herz looks to put together consecutive solid starts to make his case for the 2025 rotation. Plus, it’s better than Al Michaels complaining about the quality of play on Thursday Night Football.
Game to Miss: Saturday, the Nats have a date with the Marlins at 4:05 p.m., but many in the area have a tailgate date in Charlottesville as former ACC foes Maryland and Virginia meet with one curious about which wine Kippy & Buffy will be serving.
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